Area notebook: Ex-hoop star gets tryout with NFL team

Former Albany standout Zach Noreen dribbles the ball for Bemidji State in a gane against Wayne State this past season. Noreen has been offered a chance to try out with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.(Photo: Photo courtesy of Bemidji State University)

The senior from Albany was co-MVP at Bemidji State, earning all-conference honors and helping the Beavers tie for first in the NSIC Northern Division with St. Cloud State.

As a football player, it's a whole lot different.

His achievements in football? "Zero," Noreen said. "I was a good cheerleader in the stands."

That doesn't seem to bother the San Francisco 49ers.

The NFL team invited Noreen to its OTA (Organized Team Activity) this week as an undrafted free agent.

Noreen's college experience? Fifteen spring training practices with Bemidji State, which recruited the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder on campus to play tight end with his fifth year of eligibility next fall.

Noreen's reaction? "Are you sure you've got the right Noreen?" he said.

Zach's older brother Seth Noreen played tight end and was a long-snapper at St. Cloud State, winding up his career with the Huskies in 2011.

Seth Noreen is acting as his brother's personal trainer/coach, trying to get him up to speed for an NFL tryout.

The learning curve admittedly is high.

"When we're doing drills, I'm just going to do what the guy in front of me does," he said. "You go first. I'll watch and hope he doesn't screw up."

How Noreen, who hasn't played an actual game since high school, wound up with the 49ers is interesting.

He was playing basketball for Bemidji State last February. San Francisco 49ers general manager Todd Baalke was in Bemidji watching his daughter, Cassie Baalke, play women's basketball for the Beavers.

Baalke is a 1987 Bemidji State graduate who was a two-time all-conference football player for the Beavers. He hung around for the men's game, saw Noreen and started a conversation with him.

One thing led to another and Noreen and his father, Jon, are headed to the Bay Area this week.

"It's a Cinderella story," Jon Noreen said.

Zach Noreen said he was told that he had a tight end's build and a really quick first step. He had been hearing from Bemidji State's football coaches, who urged him to give it a shot since he has one semester left to finish up his bachelor's degree.

It went well and Noreen was looking forward to August. Then his cell phone rang.

"I got a call (May 10) from somebody else and they said: 'Hey, we were talking about you. What do you think about coming down for rookie camp?'" Noreen said. "Well, I'm not going to say no.

"I think my brother would put me six feet under if I did."

Noreen has been working out hard in preparation for the OTA mini camp. He has been studying film with his brother. His last actual game, remember, was in 2009 in a section final against New London-Spicer.

Albany lost 20-18 in that game , which was played at St. Cloud State.

"I ended on a good note," Noreen said. "My last catch was a touchdown."

Since then, his entire focus has been on basketball.

He had an excellent career with Bemidji State, averaging 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots last season for the Beavers, who went 18-9.

Noreen wound up with 928 career points and 52.2 field-goal percentage, earning co-MVP honors this season with Brock Lutes.

A good minicamp this week could earn him a contract with the 49ers, which would mean he'd circumvent college football entirely. It's rare, but it has happened.

The latest to do so is San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, who played basketball at Kent State, though he signed with Michigan State originally to do play both.

New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmie Graham played only one year of football at Miami (Fla.), along with four years of basketball with the Hurricanes.

There are others. Noreen hopes to be the next.

CLC track championships

The Central Lakes Conference track and field championships are at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in Willmar. Defending conference champions are the Sartell boys and Brainerd girls.

Sartell edged Brainerd 129-127 last year.

699 and counting

St. Cloud Cathedral baseball coach Bob Karn goes for 700th career win at 5 p.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph went the second-ranked Crusaders play Mora.

Brainerd's Lowell Searcy earned his 700th career victory Monday night with a 10-3 win over Rocori. The state's all-time record is held by New Ulm's Jim Senske, who retired with 707 career wins.

Cathedral is closing in on the Granite Ridge Conference title. The Crusaders are 10-1 in the conference and 15-1 overall and lead Foley (9-2, 11-3) by one game. The two were supposed to play Monday night, but the game was rained out.

It has been rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Joe Faber Field.

Baseball updates

• Mayville State wound up 1-2 at the NAIA national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Comets finished 41-16. Former St. Cloud Apollo and St. Cloud State star Pete Pratt is an assistant coach for Mayville State.

Alex Lotthammer, who pitches for the Sartell Stone Poneys amateur baseball team, went 3-2 with a 4.88 earned-run average for Mayville State. He struck out 36 and walked 21 in 311/3innings.

• Brian Minks, a freshman from Cathedral, wound up hitting .328 (40 of 122) with a .435 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage for St. Scholastica. The Saints were 19-1 in the UMAC and 40-22 overall, advancing to regional play in Moline, Ill., before being eliminated.

• Bo Schmitz, a teammate of Minks' at Cathedral and a freshman catcher, had a slash line of .264/.319/.310 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) for Bemidji State. He was 34-for-129 with six doubles and 18 RBI for the Beavers (15-15 NSIC, 22-21 overall).

• Joey Hanowski, a sophomore from Little Falls, was second in hitting at Bemidji State. He had 10 doubles, one home run and 19 RBI.

• Also on Bemidji State's team from the area are: Pierz freshman Ben Boser (.276/.400/.310) and Little Falls freshman Collin Eckman (.256/.250/.308).

• Sauk Rapids' Anthony Bemboom is batting .217 with two home runs and 13 RBI and a slash line of .217/.277/.433 as the regular catcher for Burlington (Iowa) Bees of the Class A Midwest League. It's an affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.